Strong Enough
by Amoralyn
Summary: Human!Reader x Ghoul!Yahaba. A Haikyuu!/Tokyo Ghoul crossover.
1. Bad Idea

_Author's Note: I promised queencuppycake a Yahaba ghoul story, and I figured this might make a nice surprise 3 As such, this story is dedicated to her and the amazing admins at tokyo-volleyball, who's many amazing headcanons completely inspired this story! Also note that on tumblr I submitted this story to tokyo-volleyball (as it is a Haikyuu!/Tokyo Ghoul blog) so this story can be found on Tumblr there. Hope you all enjoy~_

-

Yahaba Shigeru has two secrets that no one can know.

One is that he is a ghoul, a monster who feeds on humans and is in turn despised by them.

The second is that he is madly in love with one of those humans.

It's not like he doesn't know it's a terrible idea to let yourself fall for a human. It's not that he can't predict that this can only end badly. It's not like he doesn't realise he's just ending towards pain.

It's just that he wasn't strong enough to stop himself.

When you had first confessed to him, actually asked him out on a date, he'd been blown away in surprise. After all, as Oikawa's assistant he was more used to the cute girls going after his good-looking boss. But you met Oikawa and Yahaba at the same time, and you chose _him_. You liked _him_. You wanted to go out on a date with _him_.

So, even though he knew, and was very sternly warned, that this was a bad idea, he went anyways.

And what a bad, bad idea it was.

He kept telling himself he could leave you at any time. That no matter how warm he felt when you sent him silly, corny messages like 'I miss you' or 'I can't stop thinking about you', no matter how serene he felt when you stroked and played with his soft hair, no matter how happy he felt every time you kissed him out of nowhere just because you wanted to….that no matter what, he could always turn away and leave all of this. That he could always leave _you_.

But when you told him you loved him…when you looked him in the eye, held his face, and said those three little words with all the emotion in your heart…all that went away. He said it back immediately, not hesitating a moment, because he had always felt the same.

Because since that first date, he couldn't have left you.

—-

"Sorry, sorry! I know I'm late." You laugh sheepishly. Yahaba sighs loudly into the phone, and puts his free hand on his hip.

"Seriously, what were you doing?!" He probes, his tone a bit clipped. He'd been visibly relieved when he finally got your call, since he'd been worrying about where you were since the sun went down, and now he couldn't hold back his exasperation.

"My friend got into a fight with her boyfriend, so we had to break open the wine. Anyways, he came back to make it up to her, and I stopped on the way home to get your favourite coffee and make it up to you~" You reply in a sing song voice. You're teasing him, knowing that he can never resist when you act cute. He sighs, and a reluctant smile appears on his face.

"Alright. Wait at the coffee shop, I'll come pick you up."

"No need!" You reply. "I'm already nearly home. I'll cut through the alley and come in through the back."

"_The alley_?!" Yahaba cries, glaring at the phone as if you could see it. "What are you thinking?! It's pitch black out there and—"

"Shi-kun, calm down~ This place is totally deserted. I think I'll be fine." You say gently, using your special nickname for him. You're clearly trying to comfort him, since he sounds like he's about to have a panic attack.

"It's not safe! Argh…I'm coming to get you." Yahaba says, struggling to keep the panic and anger out of his voice. There hadn't been a ghoul attack anywhere nearby, not in months…but then again, he's perfect proof that this didn't mean ghouls aren't nearby.

"Fiiiine. But I'm not gonna stop walking. I'll meet you wherever you find me." You sigh dramatically, but also sound a little happy.

"Good. I'm leaving now." Yahaba says, stepping towards the receiver to hang up.

"Alright. I love y—"

Your voice is cut off abruptly, as the muffled sounds of struggle and cries of fear replace it. Yahaba feels his heart stop and all the blood drain from his face. He screams your name into the phone, hoping that it's all just an accident, that you just tripped and you're going to grab the phone, laugh about what a klutz you are, and everything will be okay.

And then the line goes dead.


	2. Run

_Author's Note: Again, dedicated to my wonderful friend 3 Big thanks once again to tokyo-volleyball for their amazing headcanons and for publishing this story and their blog, and for everyone who liked and reblogged this! The next part will be the last~_

—

"Hanh…hanh….shit…this really hurts…" You're breathing hard, panting desperately as you clutch your arm. The only thing keeping you standing is the alley wall you're leaning against, the same alley wall you'd been thrown at with a monstrous force.

You'd hit the wall with your shoulder, and now even the slightest bit of pressure makes it feel like fire is erupting in your shoulder, spreading out tendrils of horrific, burning pain like a poison running through your veins. But you have a strong feeling it'll be even worse if you let go of it.

Tears stream down your face, and you struggle to blink them out of the way to see the man who stands in front of you. Slowly, the watery figure in front of you comes more into focus, and your eyes widen as you stare in horror at the man who appeared from the darkness and attacked you.

He's not particularly impressive. Short, overweight, and balding, he looks like a guy who would leer at you while you were grocery shopping, or ask inappropriate questions, and then scuttle off the second your boyfriend walks over. The kind of guy you could easily handle on your own.

If he were human.

But his eyes, black as tar with garish red pupils, make it obvious that's not the case. He's grinning at you, and you're not sure if your tears are still affecting your vision or drool is really pouring from his lips like a thick river. Well, there's one thing you can tell for sure.

Those horrifying eyes are staring at you with a ravenous hunger.

Your eyes move downwards slightly…beneath his foot are the shattered remains of your phone. No chance of calling for help, too terrified and out of breath to scream…

"My my, I certainly lucked out tonight." The ghoul smiles at you so wide you can see all of his teeth, and a deep shudder runs through your entire body. "Such a pretty girl. You look absolutely _delicious_."

You glare at him in fury, as you struggle to think of something to do. You—You couldn't just give up! There had to be something, some way you could… but—but this guy could out run you and out fight you, even if you were in peak condition. As it was you were injured and almost paralysed with fear and desperation. And he seems to have no intent of letting you get away.

You suddenly feel cold. Your entire body feels cold, all over, and you can feel goosebumps rising on your skin. You begin to shake, and your eyes open wide.

"Ohhhh~ I love the look in their eyes when they realise there's no hope." He gives a long, satisfied sigh. His expression is more than you can take, and you wish more than anything you could slam your fist into his smug face…until it abruptly changes, twisting into something annoyed.

That's when you hear someone calling your name. You turn your head at the same time as the ghoul, and see Yahaba running towards you. The cold, horrible feeling…you thought it was terrible before, but it was nothing. Nothing compared to the horrendous fear that courses through you when you see the person you love running towards you. Running towards his death.

You want to call out. Tell him to run, run and find help, run and get an investigator, whatever he wants as long as _he just runs_!

But by now you're barely able to breathe steadily, and all your words come out in breathy whimpers and gasps. And he's running so fast, that by the time you can even try to gather your words he's at your side.

"Ya…ba…no…" You whisper, letting out a choked sob. "Plea…no…"

He whispers your name softly, looking at you with such an expression of fear and concern that you can't stop yourself from crying again. He looks so scared, like his entire world is crumbling, yet his focus is completely on you.

"Ghou…" You try to tell him. "G—Ghoul. Ya…ba, he…" You trail off, as your breathing begins to speed up. You stare at him in desperation, struggling to tell him, to warn him.

"Are you alright?! Where are you hurt?" Yahaba says, looking over you with eyes filled with worry. He puts his hand on your head, stroking it gently as he also pushes it out of the way and looks for wounds. He breaths a long sigh of relief as he sees nothing but your arm injured. There's no blood either…yet. But soon, there would be nothing left of you, and him if he didn't _get out of here_!

"Oi! Are you done?!" The ghoul shouts. "Get your own dinner! This one is mine!"

For a few moments there's just silence. It's like all the sounds have just been sucked out of the area, and the atmosphere turns heavy and thick with tension.

Yahaba's face is blank for those few moments. Then he gradually turns to the ghoul, and even though you can only see the side of his face, you feel your blood almost freeze in your veins as his expressions twists into one of pure rage.

He stands up slowly, his body shaking. Yahaba wasn't a very well built man, but suddenly you can see every muscle in his body bulging forward and tensing as his hands turn into tight fists.

He speaks then, every word dripping in noxious fury

"_Don't_. _Touch_. _Her_."


	3. Clean Up

_Author's Note: Here's the final part! Congratz to Bekki for finishing her big project, and again a big thanks to tokyo-volleyball for publishing this story and writing so many wonderful headcanons that inspired this story, as well as everyone who read, liked and reblogged this! Hope you enjoy~ By the way, a clue to a future story is also in here ;)_

The ghoul snorts loudly, looking at Yahaba like he's something the ghoul would scrape off the bottom of his shoe.

"Oh? Are you going to stop me?" He responds. You can hear the sound of ripping fabric from him. You see Yahaba's eyes narrow. He stays silent as he moves his foot back, getting into a defensive position.

The ghoul opens his mouth like he's going to say something else, but then his mouth morphs into a toothy grin and he attacks Yahaba with a…a club?! It looks like a club to you, a dark red club, but his hands are empty so…

And that's when you realise the 'club' is coming from his lower back, like some sort of tail. Your eyes open wide with realization. It's a kagune, and in a split second it's hurtling towards Yahaba at a horrifying speed.

You try to call his name, to warn him, but you're too slow…because Yahaba has already jumped out of the way. He's—He's almost flying through the air…

You slide down the wall to the ground, your legs nearly buckling under you. You try to keep your arm steady, but your muscles feel like they're made of jelly and lead at the same time. You squeeze, but you can't feel any pressure. Panting desperately for air, you can only stare at the fight in front of you helplessly, fighting your hardest to comprehend everything happening in this insane fight.

The ghoul struggles to land hits on Yahaba, striking and whipping his tail whip with incredible speed and, judging by the explosion of debris when it slams into the opposite alley wall, power. Yahaba is fast, moving so quickly sometimes you can only see him as a blur, and he jumps as if the laws of gravity don't apply to him, but he's still fighting to dodge. And you know he can't keep this up forever…

Ultimately, the club tail catches him, wrapping around his leg and driving him into the ground, before it pulls him back and lets him go just long enough him for the ghoul to kick him into the wall opposite you. You scream Yahaba's name, and the pain of it makes your head swim and causes dark spots to pepper your vision. You groan in pain, pushing your head back against the wall as you try to steady it.

"S—Shi…" You whimper, tasting salt as tears run over your open lips. "N—No…S—Shig—ge…ru…"

"Hmph! Finally." The ghoul sighs loudly, shaking his head, and turns back to you. "Lucky you were too stupid to run away. I'd have had to eat this idiot." The ghoul makes a retching motion, as if the thought actually makes him sick. You struggle to stand, to even just move, as you fight to look around him to see Yahaba. The ghoul just walks towards you, reaching out his hand to grab you.

You hear a strangled cry of rage, something primal that stirs something in your very being, and your heartbeat seems to slow to a halt. And then the ghoul is suddenly moving backwards…and up.

Eyes wide, you wonder if you've begun to hallucinate. Because you're positive you just watched Yahaba grab the ghoul, lift him over his head, and now you're seeing him throwing the ghoul so far at the opposite walls that a massive chunk of bricks and debris, twice the size of Yahaba himself, falls out of it, leaving a massive crater with the attacking ghoul stuck in it.

"Shi…-kun?" You whisper softly, feeling your heart start to beat faster again. You seem to feel…lighter now, but also stronger.

_He's okay. He's still standing. Shi-kun is…Shi-kun is still alive!_

Hope, light and warm, floods your body. You could almost laugh with joy, and as it is you're tears have turned to ones of happiness. The person you love more than anyone is still safe, still has a chance.

He tilts his head, looking down at you. Your face slowly falls, as you stare back at him in confusion. Yahaba is gazing down at you with the saddest, most heartbreaking expression you've ever seen. He's in pain, deep pain, you can tell, and not from that hit. Your eyes move down slightly and you can see his shirt ripped in the fight…revealing his skin, which is rapidly healing before your very eyes.

"Oh! Ready to fight seriously then?" The ghoul cackles, and you can see him pushing himself out of the wall. Despite his laughter, you can hear the edge of anger in his voice.

Yahaba just stares at you with that miserable, pained look.

_I'll lose everything if you find out. But if I lose you…_

His face turns resolute, and he turns his head back to the ghoul. Looking at him from the side, you can only see one eye. But you can clearly see it turn black and red.

_I can't lose you._

"So be it." He whispers softly, and you slowly exhale as wings erupt from his back.

_You're everything to me._

"Can you stand?" Yahaba murmurs comfortingly as he steps towards you. You look up at his face through half lidded eyes, your head still pounding and your arm still wracked in horrible pain. But you can still see him, and you put all your focus into memorising every feature.

His loving smile, his angelic face…it makes you feel so warm inside. It even nearly makes your forget the sound of dripping blood hitting the alley floor as it runs down his fingertips in thick, scarlet rivulets.

"Y—Yeah…" You inhale sharply, as you struggle to get to your feet. You press your foot into the ground, trying to haul your weight up, only to feel yourself falling forward. Just as the ground quickly approaches your face, Yahaba catches you. Before you can say anything he's picking you up, holding you princess style. He tucks you in securely against his chest, being careful of your arm as he sets it in between your bodies, making sure it doesn't move.

"Thank you…" You whisper, before sighing loudly. You try to look over Yahaba's shoulder, trying to see behind him, and he moves his face in front of yours so you can't.

"Don't." He says softly. "You don't want to see."

"…What are we going to do with him?" You ask, staring up at your partner in obvious concern. What would happen to Yahaba if—if he was…

"It's…fine. I made a call, and they're sending him over." Yahaba's smile disappears for a moment, twisting into an angry grimace as he looks away from you. "_That creature_ will take care of it…he'll eat anything."

"So…you'll be safe…good." You sigh happily, relaxing in his arms as you breathe with relief. You close your eyes, feeling so tired you can barely think. "I'm…sorry I didn't…listen to you. Next time…next time, let's walk together, okay?"

There's silence, again, before you suddenly feel something wet trickling down your face. You open your eyes slowly, still tired, and look up to Yahaba curiously. It was his tears, running down his face in small streams, which had been falling onto you.

"Next…time…" His words are choked. You smile warmly, and reach up your good hand to his face, gently wiping away his tears. He closes his eyes tightly, obviously trying to muffle sobs.

"I love you." You tell him with all the emotion in your heart. "You're everything to me. I don't…ever want to lose you. I can't."

You smile brightly at him, stroking the soft skin of his cheek affectionately.

"So take me home. Fix me up. And let me love all of you, Shi-kun."

_Yahaba may not have been strong enough to stop himself from falling in love with you, but he was going to make damn sure he was strong enough to protect you from any who would try to hurt you because of that. _


End file.
